Entry 139: Drowning

Location: Amarr Medical Facilities
Date: 07.02.113

Memories played like a holoreel on fastforward as she climbed her way out of the inky darkness of unconsciousness. Voices were all around, surrounding her, drowning her. A cacophony of familiar and unfamiliar bled together, making little sense to her.

Her hands frantically grasped at the sides of the cloning vat and she pulled herself up from the shimmering ambiotic fluid. She yanked out the breathing tube and inhaled her first breath as she rubbed her eyes, smearing away congealed fluid. Memories became clearer, the last moment in space. She'd been in a military complex in Kourmonen with Eran. She had lost her Omen, and then her pod, she couldn't get out and then....everything went black.

She could still feel the adrenaline rush of combat coursing through her, the euphoric high that sustained her night after night as she battled it out on the field against the Minmatar.

She blinked several times trying to force away the cloudiness.

She shook her head, thinking something was wrong. "Jonathon?" she called out in a raspy voice, asking for her chief pod tech. He was always there to help her through those first few moments of being 'resurrected'. Gods, how she hated being podded.

As the room came into focus, the voices settled upon her like a shard of ice being drug down her spine.

Keon.

Her brother was here? In the medical facility? But why? "Keon? Keon what's happening...what are you doing here?" she lifted a hand to her neck, feeling as if she had a sore throat.

Silence filled the air suddenly as both men turned to face the cloning vat.

"She's awake. It's too late." Jonathan said to Keon, "She's awake. There's nothing I can do now." His voice was strained.

"Unacceptable." Her brother replied, his bright vivid blue eyes locked on her.

"Look, theres nothing I can do! Only one clone can be activated at a time, no matter what. That's more than just Imperial law, it's science." Jonathan argued.

His chin tilted, "Then it looks like we have a little problem on our hands here, don't we?"

"It's done. You were too late." Jonathan said as he took a step towards the door.

"Do not move." Keon said as he pulled a pistol from beneath his robes, steadily aiming it at the pod tech.

"Too late for what?" she asked in a fearful voice. "Keon please, I don't know what's going on here but we can work it out...just put the gun down, please!"

"This wasn't supposed to happen." Keon aimed the pistol at Shalee, "And if I kill her now? This one dies and you can wake her up again, as before?"

Jonathan paled, "...that is murder."

"What is murder to a capsuleer? You have any idea how many lives she takes in a single night?"

"I cannot be responsible for this, I will not!" he threaded his fingers through his hair. "Do not ask this of me, I cannot kill her."

"But you can wake her up again?" Keon demanded.

Jonathon nodded.

Panic seized her. "No!" She screamed as Keon was upon her. "Don't worry little sister, you'll be fine soon enough," he whispered as he grabbed her by the throat.

She gasped, choking for air, hands frantically slamming against his chest. He shoved her down beneath the fluid and held her there until she stopped fighting.

He watched the life drain from her eyes, waited until her body was completely limp before he pulled his hand up out of the vat.

"Was that so difficult?" he asked as he stood, turning towards Jonathan. "Now bring her back, but this time a little more docile?"

Jonathan doubled over a trashcan, retching.

Keon stared down at her lifeless body. "And destroy every god damned file you have on her, everything from the last two years. From this point on, she will resurrect as the data I had given you. Send that to every cloning facility she has contracts with."